Stitch-transferring device for knitting-machines.



L. N. D. WILLIAMS.

STITCH TRANSFERRING DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES APPLICATION FILED APR-3.19m.

L. N. D. WILLIAMS. STITCH TRANSFERRING DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED APR.3.I9I6.

1,285,526, Patented Nov. 19, 1918. I

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L. M, D. WiLUAMS.

STITCH TRANSFERRING DEVICE FOR KNHTING MACHINES. APPucATlo FILED AFR-3,1916.

ila -fififi fie Patented Nov. 19, 1918.

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' JUIS N. D. WILLIAMS, F OGONTZ, PENNSYLVANIA.

STIClCI-I-TRANSFERRING DEVICE FOR KNITTINGJVIACHINES.

T all whom it'mag concern:

Improvements in- Stitch-Transferring Devices for Knitting-Machine s, of which the i followin is a, specification.

' My invention relates to knitting machines which are equipped with web hol ers for engaging the sinker wales of a knitted web to prevent rise ofthe stitches with the needles,

and particularly to machines from which the web-can be removed by engagement with a, series of transfer points, one object of my invention being to prevent withdrawal of the web from the transfer points during such removal, another object being to prevent reengagement 'of the needles with the .stitches which have been cast therefrom, a

further object being to provide for engagement of the transfer points with a course of j stitches preceding the terminal course with- 4 out unduly weakening the top of the needle carrier, another object being to improve the construction of that portion of the machine which acts as a guide for the web holders, and

a still further object being to insure'the knocking over of the terminal stitches.

' machine;

These objects I attain in the manner hereinafter set forth, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view of part of a knitting machine embodying certain features of my invention, the parts being shown in the positions assumed by them when the transfer points are applied to the i as to release the web 45 3 ing the application of the'transfer points to .a course of stitches preceding the terminal Fig. 4; is a View similar 1 but showcourse the machine with a top view of the web holder actuating cams;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of part of the Fig. 7 is a view similar to 4, but'illuscrating another feature of my invention. and

5 is a horizontal section of part of Specification of Letters 2mm. t t 19, 91

Application filed April 3, 191.6. Serial No. 88,594.

also another means for eifectingj the thrusting out of the needles;

Fig. 8 is a similar view illustrating still another means of thrusting out the needles; Fig. 9 is a vertical sectionalwiew of the upper portion of a needle carrier illustrating another means for effecting the outward thrust of the needles therein;

FigQlO is a similar viewillustrating the ap plication of this feature of my invention to a needle carrier having adrop head, and,

Fig. 1.1 is a face view of a certain member of the device looking in the direction of the arrow Fig. 13.

My invention can be applied to knitting machines whether of the circular or flat bed type but for convenience the invention is shown in the drawings as applied to acircular machine, and to prevent confusion no attempt has been made to show the stitches in the distant portion of the knitted web, the same being represented as a close web which hides everything behind it.

In the drawings, 1 represents the needle carrier of the. machine, 2 the needles, 8 the carrier for thecams whereby the reciprocation of the needles is efi ected 4; the web hold= ers, 5 the web holder carrier, and 6 the car-. rier for the cams whereby the radial reciproa'tion of the web holders is effected.

In the machine shown in Figs. 1 to 4 there is, behind each needle, a ack 7 with enlarged head 8 contained in a recess 9 in the needle carrier and said recess has at the top tWo steps 10 and 11, each with inclined lower end. The butts at the lower ends of the jacks 7 are acted upon by a swinging lifter cam 12 and by a swinging depressor cam 13, the litter cam 12 being adjustable to the position shown by full lines in Fig. 6 or to either of the dotted line positions there shown, and the depressing: cam 13 being also adjustable either to the full line position or to the dotted line position shown in said figure.

The transfer points 15 are suitably mounted in a carrier 16 and below the latter is a guide and stripper 17 which is notched or slotted for the reception of the points 15 and the upper ends of the corresponding projected needles 2, consequently when this stripper 17 is applied to the needles, prior to the depression of the point'carrier 16, it willproperly register each ofthe points 15 with its corresponding needle, and, when the carrier 16 is depressed, as shown in Fig. 1, will direct each point behind its corresponding needle and into the corresponding stitch.

When applying the transfer points to the terminal stitches ot' the web, that is to say, to the stitches still upon the needles, the cam 12 is. before depressing the point carrier, adjusted to,the. position shown by dotted lines m Fig. 6. thus raising the heads S of the jacks T onto the tirst' step 10 and throwing the upper ends of the needles radially outward, as shown in Fig. 1, so that the points 153 can pass fre ly between the needles and the needle carrier.

In order to tree the tern'iinal stitches from the needles the latte are. a t'ter engagement. oi the transfer points with the stitches, re.- tracted so as to cast, off said stitches, as shown in Fig. 2, and before the needles are again raised the cam 12 is swung to the position shown by dotted lines z in Fig. (3, so as to raise the heads 8 ol the jacks 1" onto the second step 11, thereby throwing the upper ends of the needles radiallyoutward to the fullest extent, as shown in Fig. t, whereby, when the needles again rise. they will not, enter the stitches which they had before cast oft.

At the same time the web holders T are retracted and permitted to remain in their retracted position tlllls freeing the transferred stitches ot' the web from the restraining intlu ence of the hooks 20 of the web holders in order that the latter may not interfere with the tree removal from the machine of the transfer point with the web upon them. After removal of the web the web holders are restored to operative positipn and the jacks T are lowered by swinging the cam 12 to the position shown by full lines in Fig. (3, and the cam 15; to the position shown by dotted lines in said figure. said cam 13 being again raised a'tte all the jacks have been depressed.

ln order to prevent any clamping ot' the stitches of the web or parts of the same between the inserted points and the projecting stems 21 of the web holders the retraction of the web holders is. by preference, to such an extent as to withdraw said stems 21 beyond the range of the transfer points, as shown in Fig. 3, but in order that such release of the stitches may be etlected without at the-same time removing the stems of the web holders from engagement with their guide slots the inner end of the stem of each web holder is recessed at the top so that while such recessed portion may be withdrawn beyond the range oi the transfer points. as shown in Fig. 3. the lower portion of the stem will still project into the guide slot. as sllOWI] t. 23) in said figure.

In order to permit all of the web holders to be retracted to the position shown in Fig.

3 and rctainedin this retracted position two,

long as necessary, the web holder projecting cams 24 and :25 of the cam ring 6 are adjustable to inoperative position, as shown by dotted lines in ig. 5, and when in this position will permitthe butts ot' the web holders, which have been retracted by the cam web is of fine gage, it is advisable to engage the transfer points with stitches of a course of knitted web preceding the terminal cours thereof, but owing to the tendency of t3}: web to twist, the course with which the transfer points engage must, be relatively close to the terminal course. otherwise such twisting tendency will. draw the stitches of the course which is to be'engaged outof registry with the transfer points which are intended to engage the same.

lt', however, the top of the needle carrier has to be cutaway for the reception of the transfer points, such a. reduction in the thickness of the. wall at the upper end of the carrier so results as to unduly Weaken the same. In orderto overcome this objection I provide the needle carrier with a.

separate head 26 movable in the direction of the reciprocating movement of the needles, hence while during the knitting operation the upper edge of said head 26 may be substantially flush with the upper edges of the stems 21 of the web holders, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, such head may be reti ctcd, as shown in Fig. 4, in order to per mil engagement of the transfer points with the stitches of a course of knitted web ceding the terminal course but relatively -close thereto, said head beingrestored to its normal position again after the removal of the transfer points wlth the web upon them and before. resumingthe knitting ope ation.

The web holder carrier has formed therein. below the web holders, a lint collecting chamber. 27, and in order to prevent any access of lint to the gap between. the upper end of the cylinder and the lower portion of the head 26 when the latter is raised, the. needle guide ribs 28 on the c: rricr 1 are extended above the top of the same, across said gap. as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. whereby said ribs'and the intervening needles 2 serve to practically close the gap.

In ca rrying out my invention other n'ieans than the jacks 7, cam 12 and cam stepsflt) and 11 may be employed as a means for causing: the outthrust of the needles 2 in their grooves. For instance, in Fig. 7 l' have shown the vertically adjustable head 26 as provided with an internal cam 32 which,

When'said head is depressed, as shown in" 7, acts upon a. surrounding spring 33 parted to tln carrier,

so as to expand the same and cause it toin' -ipart outward thrust to each of the surroundii' g needles, and in Fig. 8 l have. shown a cam ring disposed within a fixed head on t ie cylinder so as to be capable of a limited amount of vertical movement therein, this cam ring acting upon the spring so as to impart outward thrust thereto as the ring is rail 61., said raising movement being conveniently imparted to the cam ring by providing the same with projecting studs adanted to inclined slots 36 in the head hv, when a partial turn is imani ring 3 1*, it can either be raised, so as to expand the spring 33,01 can be lowered as to relieve said spring from such expansion,

he construction shown in Fig 9 the cenrwhieh acts upon the expansion spring is formed in the outer face of the needle and said spring is acted upon by fingers which project inwardly between the needles and are carried by an angular ar mount on the web holder carrier 5 so as to be .rlee to move vertically thereon, said her bei depi d by engagement of pin 52 with a cam slot 1 an fie plate l'hcwise mounted on wcl holder carrier so as to be free to a certain amount ot movement thereon lQIlZ-Ol'lttll plane.

. en he machine is knitting normally the needlesv occupy a normal position in the ases oi the needle guiding grooves of" the needle carrier, the liar 51 occupies its elevated position and the expansion spring 33 is above the cam surface of rie ill as shown in Fig. fl. By a slight later l movement l' the plate 5* however, the

cam slot thereof is caused to act upon the pin or the bar 51 so as to depress the same,

11 m j 3 1 i LllGlx g v1e sprin HS noun lnco engagement Wl the cam surface ot the bi needle carrier and causing consequent exnansion said spring and out-thrust of the ccdles from the bases of the needle grooves v the same manner as in the other embodnnents of this feature of my invention which I have shown. in Fl 1. 9 l. have shown this feature of my i vein as pplied to a needle carrier havmg a lead, but 11! Fig. 10 l have shown the spring as acted upon by a bar 55, which is slotted at the top for the guidance ol' the web holders, and in vertical engagement with one or more oi the lingers 50 oi the bar 51 so as to be caused to move lly with the la er, said bar 55 thus tztuting the equivalent of the drop head shown in E is. 3 and l. ln tiller-oust ctuui shown in '4', 8, 9, 10 a single cam only is employed in al the mi -slop cam shown in Figs. 1

and.

to the needles.

the needle caron degree of outw 1rd thrust being ting them to remain in such retracted position while the transfer points, with the web upon them, are being removed I from the The combination of the needles of a knitting machine, a series of transfer points, a carrier therefon'and a guide constructed to receive said points and also to receive the corresponding needles of the machine in order to register the points with said corresponding needles.

3. The combination of the needles of a knitting machine, a series of transfer points or engaging stitches of the knitted web, reciprocating web holders having guide stems recessed at their inner ends, and means for retracting said web holders so that said recessed inner ends of the same will be withdrawn into the plane of the transfer points.

i. The combination of the needles and needle carrier of a knitting machine, with transfer points for engaging stitches of the knitted web, said needle carrier having a head movable in respect thereto. whereby it can be withdrawn out of the'way of the transfer points when the latter engage the stitches of a course preceding the terminal course.

The combination of the needles and web holders of a knitting machine, transfer points ,dlc carrier having a movable head and projecting ribs with intervening grooves for the reception and guidance of the needles, .said ribs bridging the gap between thence- (llc, carrier and the movable head of the same when said head is projected 7. "he combination of a. needle carrier and its needles, a cam, an elastic medium interposed between such cam and the needles, and means whereby the cam, through Said elastic n'icdium, is caused to act upon the needles to thrust them outwardly in their grooves.

8. The combination of the needle carrier and its needles, a cam, an elastic medium In testimony whereof I have signed my interposed between said cam and the needles, name to this specification, 111 the presence of 10 and means for moving one of said elements two subscribmg Witnesses.

in res wet to the other so as to cause ex an- T 5 sion (if said elastic niedium'and outdiu'd v LOUIS VILLIAMS projection of the needles, or so as to permit VVitne'sses: i said elastic medium to contact and permit IQATEI A. BEADLE, the needles to resume their former position. IIAMILTON D. TURNER. 

